Born 10 weeks before his mum, teenager Samantha Madgin, was stabbed to death in a backlane attack, Callum is now the apple of his father’s eye.

Stephen McKenzie today told how six-month-old Callum has become his whole life.

He is looking forward to his first Christmas with the youngster, who he is bringing up with the help of Samantha’s 42-year-old mother Alison.

When Stephen looks at his son, his happiness in tinged with sadness over the death of his former girlfriend.

The popular 18-year-old was killed on August 2, while she was still on maternity leave.

Since then, Stephen, 26, a labourer, of Merlin Crescent, Rosehill, Wallsend, is determined to be there for Callum, especially as his own father died when he was 18.

Tenderly playing with his boy, Stephen said this will be his first Christmas with his son – who is too young to even remember his mother.

Stephen said: “I pick him up on a Friday afternoon at 3pm and drop him back to Alison on Sunday. He has changed so much in six months. He’s beginning to smile, and he’s teething now, I’ll have a few sleepless nights, but I don’t mind that.”

Stephen knows his infant needs a mother figure, and he is happy Alison is sharing the responsibility of bringing up his son. “We have a routine for him. I think that’s best for him at this stage.

“Alison has him for week days and I pick him up for weekends,” he added.

Still waiting to go back to work since the ordeal, Stephen reflected on the guilt he feels on being separated from Samantha when she was attacked and died.

He said: “I think about the fact that had Samantha and I not fallen out, she wouldn’t have been out that night she died, and would have still been here with me and Callum.

“We’ve split up before, but we would get back together again. I thought she would have come back to me, but now that will never happen. I feel guilty about that, and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life.”

Stephen said the two-bedroom flat they rented together a year ago is now a home for his son.

“I look forward to having him at weekends. Alison has never restricted my access to him at any time, but we both thought it would be a better routine for Callum, especially at this age, for him to have his father, and Alison to be a mother figure for him,” he said.

“Although we have our set days with him, he is being brought up in a loving family environment.”

The dad wants to be there for all the milestones in Callum’s life.

He added: “He was six months old last weekend. I want him to know I will always be there for him. My father died when I was 18, at least I had those years. He only had a few months with his mother.

“I’m learning all sorts of things about his mood changes and what he needs. I’m even changing nappies, although I bought some which were too big.”

One of Callum’s favourite toys is a tiger rattle, which he throws around and plays with, according to his dad.

“My sister comes to visit and also helps with Callum,” Stephen said.

“I take him out, and I am proud to be his dad. I do get help to look after him, and it doesn’t matter to me that my mates might want me to go out at weekends. He is my world and my future.”

When the pair are together, Callum sleeps in a cot in his dad’s room.

“When he gets a bit older he’ll have his own room,” Stephen said. “This will be Callum’s first Christmas, and without his mother.

“Alison and I are going shopping for some nice clothes for him and a few toys. He’ll need more clothes than toys at this stage.” Stephen still has photographs on his mobile phone of his son when he was born on May 26.

“When he was born, I was over the moon. I thought it was my life starting to get a bit better.

“Sam was a one-off. She just loved life and was always smiling, always loving and always getting on my case.

“I wanted Callum to be called Stephen – my dad was also called Stephen – but she liked the name Callum.”

Even though the couple had broken up, Samantha had been speaking to Stephen again.

“She was phoning me up and asking me to come and see the bairn. I would go and see him on Thursdays. I was working on the new school over the road, so I was allowed to go and see him on my lunch breaks,” he added.

The couple, who had been together for 18 months, met at The Klub nightclub in Wallsend, North Tyneside.

Samantha was confronted in a back-lane disturbance involving two groups after she had gone to Albert Avenue, Wallsend, with two male friends to see another friend, shortly before midnight on Thursday, August 2.

She died of multiple stab wounds. The fatal blow penetrated her chest.

Stephen and Samantha’s brother Lee were among those who carried her pink coffin into St Bernadette’s RC Church in Wallsend for her funeral.

A 15-year-old girl – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – has pleaded not guilty to Samantha’s murder. She also denied a charge of affray relating to the same incident.

Co-accused Steven Wilson, 20, Kenneth Horsman, 25, both of Wallsend, and David Kerr, 35, of High Heaton, Newcastle, all pleaded not guilty to affray.